The construction of Temple of Olympian (Olympieion) Zeus begun in the 6th Century BC and was finished in th 2nd Century, i.e. after more than 600 years. It was the largest temple in ancient Greece. The Temple was damaged during the barbarian sack of Athens in 267 and was never repaired. The Temple orignally had 104 columns of 17 m high each and 2 m in diameter each. Today, 15 columns remain standing, the 16th column lies on the ground where it fell during a storm in 1852.

The Hadrian Arch

View from the Acropolis

The Temple columns

The Temple columns

The excavations

The Greek name is Ναὸς τοῦ Ὀλυμπίου Διός. The temple was excavated in 1889-1896 by Francis Penrose of the British School in Athens, in 1922 by the German archaeologist Gabriel Welter and in the 1960s by Greek archaeologists led by Ioannes Travlos. The remains remain visible today are a major tourist attraction.